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Friday, 17 February 2006 |
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Firearm policy and practice in Thai society A media survey of the impact of firearms on Thai society
By Tassanee Tanakornsombut, Chutimas Suksai, Chayanit Poonyarat, Yeshua Moser-Puangsuwan
May 2005, 20 pages
[download/view PDF]
This report is based on newspaper reporting, and methodically recorded 529 stories on firearm violence from the two national newspapers with the broadest circulation, Daily News and Khao Sot, over a 2 year period. Our findings challenge common beliefs about firearms in Thai society and propose policy changes regarding possession of firearms.
One of the beliefs that this report challenges is the ordinary assumption that only illegal firearms are used in crimes. Along with this assumption is another that believes firearm-related violence occurs mostly, if not only, by criminals and between strangers. Most importantly, society truly believes that obtaining a firearm will increase personal security or a person's ability to defend himself and his property. Re-examining these beliefs and myths, this report argues that far from making people safer, firearms are a root cause of violence in our society.
In Thailand, law allows a citizen to apply for a license for private possession of firearms where the purpose is 'defense of person or property.' This emphasis on private protection is a result of the fact that the state is popularly perceived to fail to provide security for society. When arms acquisitions are driven by popular perception of security sector failure - that they can no longer have faith in the police to provide them with the protection they need - a privatization of the state's security responsibility begins to take place.
Thailand has some of the most permissive laws for firearm possession in Southeast Asia. It also has the highest homicide rate in the region according to police statistics registered with the international police agency, Interpol. Analysis of firearm use in Thai news reports on firearm violence reveal that in Thailand, guns are used mostly for dispute resolution, not for security, nor for self-defense. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 26 February 2007 )
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